Conflict, displacement, soaring food prices, and flooding continue to exacerbate the hunger crisis in South Sudan and the Sudan. As returnees and refugees flee the outbreak of civil war in the Sudan, the pressure on scarce resources will further increase hunger among both new arrivals and host communities.
South Sudanese father Deng Machar Longar knows what it’s like to live in both countries. At age 67, he lives with the double disability of hearing difficulties and visual impairment that nearly restricts his whole vision.
In 2018, when his sight was still intact, Machar made the trip to Sudan to search for better income to support his wife, son, and two daughters. But as the crisis in Sudan intensified, working opportunities shrunk, Machar lost his sight, and he had to move his family back to their home in Aweil East county, South Sudan.
When Machar was identified by the local chief to be included in a food assistance program implemented by Tearfund South Sudan (with support from Tearfund Canada and the Foodgrains Bank), he and his wife discussed how they would prudently manage the food assistance.
“I am a very fortunate man among many. I thank God for giving me a very faithful and honest wife. Despite the enormous challenges we are facing, she always remains optimistic and faithful to the future and God. She is the inspiration and lifeline of the family. I will surrender all the food rations to her to decide it for our best interest.”
“You cannot imagine how difficult it is to have a [group] of people with little or nothing to eat… it is chaotic all the time,” says Machar. “People tend to disagree and quarrel over things that do not elicit quarrels in times of food sufficiency.” (Photo: Tearfund South Sudan)
Through this program, Tearfund South Sudan supported 7,700 people affected by the conflict with three months of food assistance between August and November 2024. They are currently in the process of planning another project in this area in response to the worsening humanitarian crisis.
For more information on the Sudan crisis, visit foodgrainsbank.ca/sudan.
This story was originally published in the 2025 Winter edition of Breaking Bread.
